Chapter Text
“Woah…” Sonic hummed as he skipped along the dark hall, his footsteps light and echoing against the cold, concrete floor. “So this is how you grew up, Shads?” he asked, catching up to a very much annoyed Shadow, who marched ahead with his arms crossed.
“Do you ever shut up? What part of ‘stealth mission’ do you not understand?” the ebony hedgehog hissed.
Sonic grinned, unfazed. “Jeez, I’m just trying to lighten the mood. Not like there’s anyone here…”
“Hmph.” Shadow turned, pinching between his brow. “I can’t believe Rouge talked me into this,” he mumbled, remembering the conversation from earlier that day…
—
“No.”
“Darling, it wasn’t really a request,” Rouge smirked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
“And what makes you think I’d take orders from you? Especially for something as foolish as helping that blue idiot and his team on some goose chase?” he sighed, arms crossed in irritation.
“Goose chase or not, you and I both know that once they get a goal in their heads, they’ll see it through… no matter how blindly they go into it.” She crossed her arms.
“Which begs the question—why must we get involved?” he drawled lazily.
“Because they’re our friends,” Rouge said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Shadow raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. My friends,” she huffed, rolling her eyes.
“Then you go. Problem solved. Now, if you’ll excuse me—” Shadow turned, as if ready to leave, but was stopped by a now slightly aggravated Rouge.
“Would if I could, darling,” she started. “But unfortunately, I have a G.U.N mission in an hour.” Shadow froze, knowing exactly where this was going. “You know, the one you asked me to cover for you?” she smirked.
‘Serves me right for thinking I could have a break.’
“You know what that means? You. owe. Me.” Her smirk grew as she tapped his chest with each word.
“So let me ask you again—how do you feel about accompanying Team Sonic on an investigation today?”
Shadow screwed his eyes shut in frustration.
“Damnit.”
—
“Damnit.”
Sighing, Shadow trudged along behind Sonic, who was practically bouncing. Of course he would get dragged into this—now he was stuck on a ‘stealth mission’ with the least stealthy being he’d ever met. Apparently the red one and Rose had other objectives for the mission, objectives that he’d rather be doing then giving the blue moron a guided tour of a run down G.U.N facility.
“Huh?” Sonic turned, snapping out of whatever trance he was in. “What was that?”
Shadow sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “For an investigation, you sure have a hard time focusing.”
Sonic grinned, raising his hands in defense. “Hey! In my defense, I don’t even know what we’re looking for. All I know is that Tails’ radar went off the rails around here and BAM! Secret underground G.U.N. bunker.” He shrugged. “Apparently, it was shut down like five years ago or something, but we couldn’t find out why. Hopefully Knucks and Amy can find that out on their end, must’ve been doing some pretty shady stuff. I didn’t really see the need for this ‘investigation,’ but Tails was over here freaking out about his readings, something about a powerful energy source coming from here, so…”
“So now we’re stuck looking for something that probably doesn’t exist?” Shadow muttered dryly.
“Bingo!” Sonic confirmed with an exaggerated snap of his fingers.
This did not improve Shadow’s mood at all.
“Just try not to touch anything that might blow us up while we’re in here.” Shadow remarked as Sonic quickly withdrew from tapping a random button.
Shadow just gave him an exasperated look, while Sonic grinned.
Suddenly, a loud crashing sound captured both of their attention. They both turned toward the source of the noise, and Shadow glared at Sonic.
“Oh, c’mon, man! Obviously, I had nothing to do with that! I’m standing right here!”
Shadow looked at him skeptically. “Knowing you, you’d find a way.”
Sonic’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Whatever, dude. Let’s just go check out whatever actually made the noise.” He turned and walked toward the direction of the sound.
Shadow begrudgingly followed behind. The sooner they found nothing, the sooner he could leave and be rid of the blue menace.
It took about five minutes before they saw what had made the noise. The duo stared at a large panel that had collapsed from the wall, shattering nearby objects as it fell. The panel’s fall wasn’t too surprising—this place looked on the brink of collapse. It might’ve only been five years since it was shut down, but it seemed incredibly run down. How under the radar was this place?
What was surprising, though, was the entrance to a hallway hidden behind the panel.
A hallway with a faint glow.
Both hedgehogs stopped and stared, surprised. There was no electricity in the building—only the occasional window light or the flashlights they carried.
“Well, that’s not ominous,” Sonic muttered.
Shadow hummed in agreement.
“So… I’m assuming we go check out the glowing place?” Sonic asked, his voice light with curiosity.
“Guessing that’s the reason we’re here,” Shadow sighed. ‘ So much for finding nothing and leaving.’
Sonic grinned. “Race ya!”
“Wait! Don’t just run ahead, you—” Too late. Sonic was already gone. “Idiot.”
Shadow, despite himself, also sped toward the glow. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d find the blue hedgehog stuck in a trap and have a good minute to berate him for running down strange hallways.
Shadow sadly was not met with the sight of a trapped hedgehog. Instead, he saw Sonic standing perfectly still in a room.
Strange.
Slowing down, Shadow approached, noticing the dark room around them was littered with desks, old computers, and papers thrown around haphazardly. Whatever was glowing was hidden behind Sonic’s frozen figure.
Cautiously, Shadow stepped closer.
“What—?” His voice faltered as Sonic turned to him with a shocked look. Whatever the blue hedgehog was about to say fell on deaf ears as Shadow finally caught a glimpse of what had stopped Sonic in his tracks.
A stasis tube.
Suddenly, Shadow’s vision tunneled. His breath quickened.
Sonic, shocked, could only look back at the tube… and the small hoglet inside it.
“What…” was all he could manage. He wanted to move forward, but his feet stayed planted.
He could make out the blue and tan fur, the Violet streaks flowing with its quills, and a small puff of white chest fur.
The hoglet stirred.
It was ALIVE.
“Shadow—” Sonic began, alarmed, but Shadow’s face twisted in anguish and anger. Without warning, he zoomed past Sonic, jumping with all his force.
“WAIT—” Sonic shouted, but it was too late. Shadow’s fist hit the tube with a loud crack, splintering it.
Inside, the small hoglet was still sleeping, the sounds of the cracks and thuds making it stir. Slowly, it forced one of its eyes open. For the first time, it wasn’t met with solitude. There was someone there… someone banging on the barrier.
Despite the scary look on their face… the hoglet felt… safe. Slowly, it closed its eyes again as a final crack rang out.
The tube shattered, the stasis liquid rushing out. Shadow immediately grabbed the soaked hoglet and pulled it to his chest before it could be flung onto the shards of glass.
Snapping out of his frozen state, Sonic rushed over to where Shadow was crouching, now holding the small, shivering bundle in his arms. As Sonic got closer, he noticed the hoglet was wide awake, burying itself into Shadow’s chest for warmth, gasping while clinging to Shadow for dear life.
“Shadow…” Sonic said softly, his voice full of concern as he crouched beside them.
“Never again,” Shadow muttered, his voice thick with grief and anger. “That’s what they promised. It was never supposed to happen again…” He growled, staring into the distance, unaware that he was squeezing the hoglet.
The moment Sonic heard a small squeak, he grasped Shadow’s arm, pulling on it to give the hoglet space to breathe. “Listen, Shadow… I know you’re going through a lot, but right now, I need you to calm down,” Sonic said desperately, holding Shadow’s arm still.
“Calm down?!” Shadow hissed, glaring at Sonic.
Mustering all the confidence he could, Sonic nodded firmly. “I-”
“They did it again. They… and then they hid it… like nothing!” Shadow fumed.
“I know,” Sonic said quietly.
“NO YOU DON’T—”Shadow spat, the rage deafening in his ears… how could he know? How could he even begin to understand what this means-
“I DO!” Sonic yelled firmly, taking Shadow by surprise.
Sonic had never sounded so stern… so desperate.
“I’m right here. I can see what’s happening! I know, Shadow. I know.”
Shadow’s breathing quickened again.
‘Shit, not again’ he thought, feeling Sonic’s grip on his arm tighten. ‘ Since when has that been there?’
“Shadow, I need you to look at me.”
Breath in.
Breath out.
“Shadow, please, look at me.”
Begrudgingly, Shadow complied, his eyes meeting Sonic’s, slightly grounding him.
Has Sonic’s eyes always been this green?
“Good. Now I need you to copy me,” Sonic said gently but firmly, slowly lifting his free hand and holding out five fingers. “Breathe in… hold.”
Shadow glared at him, who does he think he is?
“C’mon, just try, please,” sonic begged.
Despite himself, Shadow copied the best he could.
“Now, slowly out…” Sonic breathed out, lowering his fingers one at a time.
They repeated the breathing exercise until Shadow could feel his breath stabilize, and the grip on his arm loosen.
What had he just been doing?
They didn’t have time for this, he scowled at himself. They needed to get the hoglet out! Oh Chaos, the hoglet! Had he crushed it?
Quickly, Shadow looked down to see the hoglet still shivering against his chest, no longer gasping for air.
“I’m…” he whispered to the hoglet. Choking on the apology. If Sonic noticed, he didn’t mention it.
“Sonic, I need you to grab them… I can’t—” He growled in shame. ‘I can’t trust that I won’t hurt it.’
The anger and shock of the situation were too much.
“Yeah,Shads. No problem. Let me just—” Slowly, Sonic reached for the small bundle, gently prying it off Shadow and holding it firmly against his chest. He felt the hoglet give a big shiver before it calmed down and leaned into the warmth of his touch.
Sonic could feel his heart break.
How long has it been here, all alone?...
He realized he’d rather not know the answer.
“Let’s move.”
The blue hedgehog looked up, finding Shadow already standing, as if the past ten minutes had never happened.
How did he do that?
“Y-yeah…”
Slowly, the pair made their way out of the abandoned bunker.
The silence stretched between them. It was… heavy, filled with the weight of what they’d just discovered. Both had a million questions on their minds, yet for the first time, both simply walked in silence.
—
Throughout his life, Tails had seen some pretty strange things—especially since he started hanging out with Sonic and eventually moved in with him. But none of those oddities compared to the scene in front of him now.
"Um..." he hesitated, unsure what to say as he stared at the duo standing in front of his door. Sonic and Shadow had returned from their part of the mission, both wearing solemn expressions. Sonic,uncharacteristically quiet, which made sense…
Tails' gaze dropped to the small hoglet snuggled into Sonic's chest. At some point, the two had snagged a jacket drying on a line and wrapped it around the small being, hoping to warm it up and stop it from shivering.
"O...kay..." Tails started, breaking the silence. "So, I see you guys found something..."
"Try 'someone,' bud," Sonic said with a small, sad chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
"Let’s just get inside already," Shadow stated firmly, pushing past Tails and into the room. Tails quickly stepped aside to let him through.
Sonic shook his head. Normally, he would’ve made a snarky comment in Tails' defense, but he knew Shadow was doing his best to hold it together.
Tails raised an eyebrow at Sonic’s distant stare, snapping him out of it. "Sorry, Tails," Sonic muttered, his voice quiet. "It's been a long day."
All Tails could do was nod as Sonic stepped inside, the weight of the moment hanging heavy in the air.
—
As much as he regretted it, Sonic eventually had to remove the hoglet from his hold, he knew the moment he pried it off himself and onto the examination table Tails quickly put together, that it would wake up and probably start to panic.
Just as he feared, the instant he pulled it away, bright green eyes snapped open, locking onto him with shock. Tiny paws reached out desperately, trying to return to the warmth and safety of Sonic’s arms. Without hesitation, Sonic gently coaxed it to sit up, taking its small hands in one his and carefully smoothing down its quills with the other.
"Hey, hey, it’s okay," he murmured, his voice soft and steady. "We’re right here. You’re safe now." He nodded reassuringly, hoping the hoglet could understand.
Wide eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, lingering on the figures of Tails and Shadow. Tails, trying his best to appear calm and approachable, was standing nearby. Shadow, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall, his posture rigid, his gaze anywhere but at them.
Sonic kept his focus on the hoglet, watching as its body slowly relaxed.
“There you go,” Sonic whispered, his voice warm and comforting. “You’re safe here.”
Slowly, Tails took a cautious step forward. "This is my buddy, Tails," Sonic said gently, squeezing the little one’s hand. "He’s just going to check on you to make sure you're okay. It won’t take long, I promise."
The hoglet’s confusion was clear as it looked between Sonic and Tails, before nodding cautiously.
Sonic took a small step back, watching as Tails began to speak softly to the hoglet, asking permission for every little action he took.
He moved toward the corner of the room where Shadow was, lingering close enough to intervene if anything went wrong. His heart ached for the little blue hog, knowing how overwhelming this must be for them.
Sighing, he glanced sideways at Shadow. The other hedgehog seemed lost in thought, his gaze distant. Sonic figured he wouldn’t get much out of him tonight. He looked away, but to his surprise, Shadow spoke up.
“Where did you learn that?” Shadow muttered, his voice low but curious.
Sonic blinked, caught off guard. “Huh?”
“Tch-The breathing thing,” Shadow clarified, his eyes still avoiding Sonic’s.
“Oh!” Sonic realized what Shadow meant—the breathing exercise. He chuckled lightly, a bit self-conscious. “Honestly, I didn’t think it’d work. I figured you’d either punch me or yell at me for being ridiculous... I mean, I’d rather have that than watch you—” Sonic’s words trailed off as he realized he was treading into uncomfortable territory. His gaze flicked to Shadow.
Shadow didn’t respond directly, his posture stiff. “That’s not the question, hedgehog. Where did you learn that?It doesn't seem like something you’d come up with on your own.”
Sonic shrugged, trying to play off the small offense he felt. “Well, when you’ve been on enough missions with Amy, you pick up a thing or two.”
“Hm,” Shadow replied, his expression unreadable. “Figures. It was that pink hedgehog’s idea.”
Sonic stared at him, the tension in the air thicker than he expected. He swallowed, unsure why he suddenly felt so... nervous.
Sure, he knew bits and pieces about Shadow’s past. Everyone could see that the gruff, stoic exterior was just that—an exterior. But to see Shadow, the “ultimate lifeform”, the guy who always seemed in control, have a full-blown panic attack? That was... something Sonic wasn’t prepared for. It was jarring, to say the least.
Sonic had always thought of Shadow as this unshakable force. But what he’d witnessed... that cracked the image. Shadow wasn’t invincible, and Sonic couldn’t help but feel a pang of something unfamiliar.
Sonic didn’t realize he’d been staring until Shadow stiffened, his expression hardening further. “Oops,” Sonic muttered under his breath, quickly looking away, his face flushed.
Why was he so uneasy?
‘Wait, why do I care so much?’ Sonic mentally scolded himself. Shadow could take care of himself, right? He didn’t need Sonic worrying about him. Hell, Shadow would probably rip him a new one if he knew Sonic was feeling sorry for him.
‘Yeah, forget earlier. Focus on the hoglet,’ Sonic reminded himself.
Just as he tried to push the thoughts away, Tails’ voice cut through his train of thought, grabbing both their attention.
“Hey, you guys might want to come check this out.”
As the two turned to approach the young fox, they noticed he was staring at a tablet screen, eyes shocked.
“Hey bud, what’s up? Everything all right with it?” Sonic questions.
Tails took a nervous breath. “Well to start, her.” he cleared his throat and decided to just focus on the check up portion first… before… yeah.
He looked at Shadow nervously, who gave him a raised eyebrow that screamed ‘what’?
Oh boy, this was probably going to be rough.
“Y-yeah, so our little hoglet friend here is a girl, from the data I’ve collected she’s relatively healthy, that being said she’s been malnourished which apparently stunted her growth… looking at her now, how old do you think she looks?” the fox asked
Sonic scratched his head. “I dunno, man, like... 2?”
“Three,” Shadow replied, his eyes scanning the hoglet.
Both shadow and sonic answered glancinging at the small, confused creature. She was reaching toward them, clearly seeking comfort. Sonic carefully picked her up, holding her close, while Shadow looked away.
“Welp, turns out she’s four,” Tails said softly, a small frown pulling at his lips.
“FOUR?” Sonic looked down at the hoglet, now snuggling into him. His heart twisted. “But she looks so small.”
“Yeah, though with a healthy diet and proper care, she should catch up… or at least get on a better weight level for her age,” Tails sighed. “There’s also the matter of her speech…”
Both hedgehogs looked up, sensing the gravity in Tails’ tone.
“She can’t talk?” Sonic asked, worry creeping into his voice.
“It’s... complicated,” Tails began, glancing at the hoglet. “Her vocal cords are fine. So technically she should be able to talk- but with the trauma she’s gone through, combined with not using her voice for a while if ever, has left her unable or unwilling to speak. The most I’ve gotten out of her is a quiet squeak.”
Sonic’s heart tightened. “But she’ll get better right? Just like the growing stuff, if someone teaches her some words she’ll figure it out?”
Tails grimaced. “It’s not that simple. We don’t know how long she’s been in that tube, or what kind of trauma she experienced. It could take weeks, months... maybe even years before she starts talking. We just don’t know.”
Sonic glanced down at the hoglet, his expression softening. He couldn’t imagine the kind of pain she must have gone through
“Anything else?” Shadow asked, his tone tired and strained. The day had been beyond exhausting, and he was nearing the point where he either needed to head home and sleep off the weight of it all—or punch something. Either way, he couldn’t stay around people much longer. He'd only stuck around this long because of the circumstances.
Tails hesitated, but finally spoke, “From what I can tell, everything else seems pretty normal—”
“Good,” Shadow interrupted, clearly itching to leave. “Then I’ll be taking my leave. I’m sure Rose can help you find someone to care for her, or at least a place to take her in.” he started “let me know if they find anything on that base.” He started toward the door, leaving both Sonic and Tails staring at him, shocked that he would just leave in the middle of all this.
Even the hoglet looked up at him, a look of confusion on her tiny face.
“W-wait!” Tails stammered, extending a hand toward Shadow. He quickly pulled it back when Shadow shot him a sharp glare.
“What is it?” Shadow’s voice was low, edged with irritation.
Tails swallowed hard. “Well... there’s something else…”
Shadow’s brow furrowed. “You just said she was fine.”
“Yeah, but—” Tails hesitated again, and Sonic could see the tension in his friend’s expression.
Shadow crossed his arms, clearly done with the back and forth. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t concern me. Let me know when you find her a home... and when you find more information on that base. I’ll handle it from there.”
“Oh jeez,” Tails muttered, nervously rubbing his neck. “It does concern you... actually…”
When Tails saw that Shadow finally paused, he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “So yeah, there’s more... and it concerns you—both of you. It’s just…” He hesitated.
Sonic and Shadow both leaned in, their attention piqued.
“You might wanna sit down for this…” tails added.
“Dude just spit it out already you’re starting to scare me” sonic laughed nervously.
‘Alright, guess I'll just rip the bandaid off’ he thought, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut. “Soturnsoutherdnaisacompletematchtobothofyoursinthedatabasetchnicallymakingherbothyourduaghter!” The fox rambled out fast.
Both Sonic and Shadow stared blankly at him.
“Uhhh… okay, bud,” Sonic started, scratching his head. “I know speed’s my whole thing, but honestly? Didn’t catch a single word of that.”
Shadow’s eyes narrowed in frustration. “For Chaos’ sake, just spit it out, fox.”
Tails took a deep breath and shouted,“HER DNA PERFECTLY MATCHES BOTH OF YOUR DNA IN THE DATABASE! She’s—she’s technically both your daughter!”
The room went silent. Sonic and Shadow stood still, both processing the words they had just heard.
Sonic let out a chuckle, shaking his head. “Good one, Tails. That’s funny. Me and Shadow— have a daughter ? Ha!” He laughed, staring at Tails, waiting for the fox to crack a smile, expecting him to admit it was just a joke.
But Tails just stood there, staring back, completely serious.
Oh.
Oh.
Sonic’s smile faltered, the reality of the situation sinking in.
“Wait… you’re not joking?” Sonic asked, his voice losing its playful edge.
Tails shook his head.
Sonic blinked, the words still not fully registering. Then, with a sharp intake of breath, he snapped, “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ?!”
The sudden outburst made the little hoglet yelp in surprise. Sonic immediately held her up, her small arms stretching out, confused. He held her at eye level, staring at her for a long moment.
And then it hit him.
Looking at her now, everything clicked. It made sense.
His quills stood on end, eyes widening in realization.
How did they miss it before?
Both hedgehogs scanned the hoglet’s features in disbelief.
Sonic’s eyes and fur color. Shadow’s markings and upward-curving quills. The tan on her arms, the white fluff on her chest.
She was a perfect blend of the two of them.
How had they not seen it sooner?
Shadow, who had been silent up to that point, suddenly felt a sharp pain flare in his head. His hand went to his forehead, rubbing at the growing tension. “Dammit all!” he growled, his voice low and filled with frustration.
He was processing the shock, too, but not as loudly as Sonic.
Tails watched them both carefully, waiting for their reactions to settle. He’d never imagined dropping a bombshell like this on them, but it was the truth. And now they had to face it.
“I’m sorry, but like…. How?!” Sonic asked desperately.
“Well,” started the young fox “while disturbing, I don’t doubt G.U.N still has some of Shadows DNA, and let's be honest sonic you sort of leave your quills laying around so…”
“But like, why would that matter! I never thought this would be the outcome of not noticing a few quills missing after a battle! What the hell!”
“When you're a super powered hedgehog, DNA samples, like missing quills, tend to be pretty valuable…
“Especially to G.U.N,” Shadow tsked.
Tails watched as Sonic lowered the confused hoglet, staring at her with wide eyes, her eyes also staring at him with curiosity.
A daughter.
He had a daughter.
Was this real? Obviously. He could feel the heat radiating off her little body, see her little face look so much like his own (with a respectable dash of Shadow) looking up at him.
This little thing was his daughter.
This very little, underweight hoglet was his.
“She’s too small…” he whispered.
Beside him, Shadow sighed. “I’m leaving,” he muttered, turning from the shocked blue hedgehog and fox.
“Wait, you're just going to leave?! Dude, this changes everything!” Sonic started but was cut off.
“This changes nothing. Obviously, some G.U.N. agents, being the gems they are, decided to do messed-up shit again—and from the looks of that bunker, I wouldn’t say it was an official branch. This needs looking into, and the people responsible rooted out and dealt with. Staying here serves no purpose for me.”
Sonic couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was he being for real? Sure, having a kid sprung onto you randomly one night is a lot… but she was more than just a case.
He was treating her like a case.
“I’ll contact Rouge, let her know it’s urgent. We’ll get some digging done to see how much G.U.N. had to do with this or that branch,” he said, walking towards the front door. “Let me know when you get anything worthwhile from the others when they're back.” He reached for the knob. “Also keep me updated when you find someone to take the hoglet in,” he finished, refusing to look behind.
What?
Before Sonic could ask Shadow what he meant by that, the door was closed—leaving him, Tails, and a fussy hoglet behind.
Did Shadow want to get rid of her?
Just like that?
Tails watched as the small hoglet started to squirm a bit in his brother's arms.
That's funny. Shadow was the one who was so set on making sure she was okay not even an hour ago… now what? He didn’t even look at her.
“Um, Sonic?” Tails started.
Yeah, maybe it was hard with his past and all, but to just get rid of her? Pass her off like she didn’t share the same markings and upturned quills?
“Sonic!” Tails yelped, snapping Sonic out of his spiral. Finally, he noticed the upset hoglet in his arms.
He could feel her stomach rumble and her little body shake.
That’s right… she's too small. She needs to eat. The poor thing is probably starving and he’s here worried about whatever the hell Shadow was doing.
Shadow wasn’t here.
She was, and quite frankly, a whole lot more important than whatever drama Shadow decided to write up for himself.
“Tails,” Sonic started, “you said she was four, right? So she obviously doesn't need milk or something, right?”
“Uh…” Tails started, the whole situation starting to settle down a bit after Shadow’s exit—that honestly went better than he expected. Though Sonic had a pretty pissed look on his face a minute ago. “Yeah, she doesn't need formula or anything, if that’s what you're asking. But we should probably stick to soft, bland food. We have no idea what her stomach can handle at the moment. It looked fine, but better safe than sorry.”
“Got it,” Sonic nodded, swiftly making his way towards the kitchen, trying to comfort the fussy girl as he did. “It’s alright, we’re going to get ya food now—don’t you worry.”
The pair decided to try a smashed banana, some plain crackers, and a cup of milk. Sonic couldn’t help but smile when he saw her expression while tasting the smushed banana. He could practically see the stars light up in her eyes. Sonic was spoon-feeding her. At the moment, she was desperately trying to get all of the mushed goodness into her mouth at once, but the blue hedgehog wouldn’t let her, trying to make sure she ate at a slower pace.
“Easy, kid. You don’t want to eat it so fast. Take it from the fastest thing alive… you gotta savor your food.”
He could hear Tails chuckle beside him. “Like the time you almost choked trying to inhale that chili dog whole?” the fox raised his eyebrow.
“Yeeaah, not my proudest moment…” the hero laughed out. “Trust me, kid, you do NOT wanna do that.”
The small hoglet ended up eating another smashed banana and a couple crackers, slowing down to a pace where Sonic didn’t feel the need to spoon-feed her as much anymore. Instead, he watched as she tried to spoon-feed herself, holding back a laugh every time she accidentally turned the spoon upside down, spilling its contents with a plop.
She was sipping on her milk when Tails’s communicator rang.
Quickly, the fox answered it. Amy’s voice came through.
“Hey Tails, have Sonic and Shadow made it back yet?”
Tails heard Sonic suck in a breath.
Right. He’s probably still upset with Shadow.
“Um, y-yeah, but only Sonic is here now,” he answered, trying to avoid mentioning Shadow’s name. “They, um, they found something—something BIG. But you probably should be here to see it yourself…” He trailed off, watching as the now content hoglet sipped her milk, swinging her legs back and forth from where she now sat on the counter.
“Really?” Amy’s voice snapped them back to the communicator. “We didn’t really find much ourselves, and trust me—we looked.” She sounded annoyed. “All we could find was that the base was raided a few years back, but nothing on why or who was there…”
“All that reading for what?” they heard Knuckles’s voice cut in, sounding frustrated.
“Don’t mind him,” Amy chuckled. “He’s upset that a librarian got on him after he yelled while we were searching for some old news articles.”
“It’s not my fault there’s way too many articles to go through!”
“Anyways,” she continued, “you said Sonic found something?”
“Yeah, but really, you should be here to see it… otherwise, you probably won’t believe it,” Tails answered.
“It’s getting pretty late. Is it dangerous?” Amy asked.
Sonic and Tails looked over to the hoglet, who paused her (now) chugging to let out a small burp, looking into the empty cup and holding it out with an innocent face to ask for more.
Small feet still swinging.
“No…” the fox answered.
“Well, do you think we could do a check-in tomorrow morning? Honestly, I think I’m ready to crash. Knuckles doesn’t seem much better—”
“I’M FINE!”
They could almost hear the eye-roll.
“Honestly, yeah. After today, this might want to wait till tomorrow… we all need a second to rest.”
“Roger that!” the pink hedgehog chirped, signing off after wishing them a good night.
Now that it was quiet again, Sonic looked over to the small girl. She had just finished her second glass of milk. He noticed that her eyes seemed to be droopy, her feet more at a sluggish sway.
She was still wearing the jacket they found that swallowed her, and she was probably still covered in whatever that stuff was in the tube. He leaned in to get a better look, to find that yes, it was dried now, but there were splotches of little quills stuck together from the fluid.
Without hesitation, Sonic leaned down and started to nip at the spots.
He could feel the hoglet tense and look up at him.
‘Wait, what the hell am I doing?’ he thought to himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He felt the hoglet relax, even leaning into it, a soft rumble coming from her.
She was purring.
Sonic was grooming the hoglet—and her response was to lean in and purr.
Sonic could feel something warm bloom in his chest, the same warmth that he felt when he and Tails used to groom each other when they were younger.
Tails was older now, a certified teenager, and swore that he didn’t need it anymore (though he’d never push away when Sonic groomed him when he needed comforting). Sonic almost forgot how warm it felt to just groom someone he cared about.
Wait. Cared about?
He just met this hoglet today…
Both lost in the moment, neither Sonic nor the purring hoglet noticed when Tails awkwardly came closer, looking up from his communicator to witness the scene in front of him.
It was strange… Sonic only ever groomed him.
Pushing away a pang of something, he cleared his throat.
“Um, Sonic?...”
The blue hedgehog snapped out of his grooming instinct, looking down to watch as the hoglet opened her closed eyes to look at him with a curious face, as if to ask why he stopped.
“It’s getting kind of late. We should probably get some rest… something tells me tomorrow is going to be a bit hectic…” The fox trailed off.
“Oh, um-” Sonic fixed himself “yeah, we’re definitely going to need the rest, I can only imagine how Amy is going to react tomorrow” he laughed off. Tails also chuckled a bit, tomorrow was going to be a DAY.
“Alright then,” Sonic said “Bath time!” he sang picking up the small girl. “Erm, I’m guessing ya don’t know how to bathe yourself?”
The hoglet titled her head in confusion.
Right.
“Hey, Tails buddy do you think maybe you could help?-”
The fox quickly jumped back, looking left and right before feigning a yawn “actually, I think *yawn* I should probably head to bed,” he stretched “anyways, goodnight!”
His brother was down the hall before Sonic could say anything.
“Alright then. Just you and me…” he gulped “I can do this, give a kid a bath? No problem! I give myself a bath all the time, how hard can it be?” he laughed off, from down the hall he could hear Tails shout.
“Try not to boil her!”’
‘Wait, that can happen?’
“Or drown her!”
“Thanks Tails!” He yelled back with a hint of annoyance. Sonic swore he could hear the fox chuckle.
Sonic looked back down at the hoglet, who, for her part, gave him a shrug.
“Great…”
—
Well, bath time was… an event.
Sonic was towel-drying the hoglet’s quills, her tiny body now drowned in a graphic t-shirt he’d won from a chili dog eating contest. The shirt had a big bold “I GOT THAT DOG IN ME” across the front, with a goofy chili dog mascot drawing underneath it.
He had a towel around his shoulders too, trying to dry himself off as best as he could. Who would’ve guessed a hoglet, who’d probably never even had a bath before, would be so… splashy? After the initial shock of the water, the hoglet decided she loved the bath. Most of all, she loved the bubbles.
And oh, there were bubbles.
Probably a bit too much looking back on it now, but Sonic sure hadn’t expected to be splashing around in a frenzy, panicking when he lost sight of her, thinking she’d slipped under. To his relief, he found her — giggling like crazy, soft squeaks leaving her lips, with a comical pile of bubbles on her head. She ducked down just enough to stay hidden, still able to breathe and peek out from the foam.
Not that that ever happened, if anyone asked him.
Obviously, he had everything under control. No panic at any point in time. Nope!
But if it did, Sonic would have to admit she was a little bit mischievous.
It caught him off guard with how comfortable she’d gotten with him so quickly, considering everything she’d been through. He could only hope her past wasn’t worse than they thought, but still, the trust she had in him was more than he expected.
And if he was being honest, he felt comfortable too. A little too comfortable. It was... kind of scary. But in a good way?
The blue hero sighed. He really couldn't wait for today to be over, glancing over to the clock on the wall. His wish had technically come true; it was currently 2am. The hoglet’s eyes were fully closed, and he had to keep her propped up so she didn’t fall over. If it wasn't for the occasional blink (he guessed she was fighting sleep), Sonic would have thought she was already asleep.
Finally, satisfied with how dry they both were, Sonic scooped her up and carried her toward the room. Laying her down on the bed, he wondered if this was alright...
Would she fall? She’s 4, so she doesn’t need a crib, right?
Sonic hesitated, unsure. Small kids do have those beds with support on the sides, right? He remembered he and Knuckles helping Vanilla set up Cream's “big girl” bed a couple of years back. Her old bed had side railings covered in flowers.
Sonic decided to place two pillows on each side of the bed, boxing her in in case she rolled around in the night.
Nodding to himself, Sonic lay the girl down, covering her with the plush blanket. He smiled as she snuggled in.
He turned around to go sleep on the couch in the living room. ‘ There goes my back for tomorrow,’ he thought as he walked toward the door.
Thump!
“Huh?” He could hear soft patters run up to him, he felt her before he saw her.
The hoglet, who’d just passed out, was now hugging onto his leg for dear life.
How—
Oh right, she’s actually 4. For some reason, he assumed she couldn’t walk yet. She was so insistent on him carrying her everywhere.
Another sign of the rapid trust she showed him.
Sonic felt as her grip tightened even more, and he couldn’t help it.
He smiled. That warm feeling bubbled up again.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly. Damn, when has he ever been this soft? Maybe when Tails or Amy was super upset… but it was rare.
The little hoglet shook her head ‘no,’ her face pressed into his fur.
“No, as in you don’t want me to leave?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
She nodded rapidly, her tiny paws clutching tighter onto him.
Sonic thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t the type to roll around in his sleep—hell, he’d slept in trees and never fallen off! So there was no real fear of crushing her. Plus, he didn’t mind sharing a bed. He and Tails used to share when the fox was younger. So, really, there was no reason not to stay.
And... he really did want to stay. It surprised him just how much he wanted to. He hadn’t realized it until she clung to him so desperately.
“Alright then, I’ll stay…” he smiled down at her, and as if on cue, her little grip relaxed.
He began to walk back toward the bed, but when the hoglet realized he wasn’t lying—and that he was staying—she stopped walking. Sonic turned around to find her standing there, holding her tiny paws up in the air.
“Pft~” Sonic laughed. "Of course," he muttered, crouching down to pick her up. “How could I forget?” he chuckled softly as she buried her face into his neck. “Man, kid, you really are a hugger, huh? Must’ve gotten that from me… definitely didn’t get it from—” Sonic cleared his throat. “Anyways, it’s way past bedtime.”
He finished by laying down on the bed, still holding her in his arms.
He’d meant to lay her beside him, but the hoglet had other plans. She wiggled her way comfortably onto his chest.
Oh well, it wasn’t like she was heavy.
Relief at finally laying down washed over him, the weight of the day dawning on him again as he pulled up the blanket to cover the two of them.
Right — the two of them…
Now, in the quiet darkness of the room, moonlight giving just enough light to see the little face in front of him, the gravity of the situation hit him.
He had a daughter.
He was… well, he was a father, in a way… no, not in a way — looking at her, it was clear as day she shared his DNA. That made him a dad, right?
Sonic would have never believed in a million years he’d be here — not that he hated kids! He loved Tails and Cream, even that little rascal Charmy. No, he’d always found kids fun to be around (even when they did get a little too in your space, asking a million questions and that godforsaken word… “why?” ). It’s just that Sonic could never imagine himself having a kid. He was a free spirit — one day here, next day over there — that wasn’t really a “kid-friendly” environment. Not to mention, he’d never imagined being in a relationship! So yeah, having his own kid was never in the cards.
Till today.
Sonic looked down at her. She was snuggling into him, lashes resting softly on her cheeks, a slight bit of drool slipping from her open lips.
Ew.
He smiled.
Raising a hand, he began to pet down her quills, feeling her shift closer, letting out a soft purr.
Sonic couldn’t help it — he began to purr as well, a deep rumble coming from within him, the hoglet responding with a nuzzle.
Damn it.
What had he gotten himself into?
Find her a new home … He hated it when Shadow mentioned it. It made sense, though.
Sonic was not made to be a dad, right?
But she was his. His daughter. She was supposed to be with him.
It scared him how much he felt the need to keep her close. He’d heard that Mobians have strong instincts, especially when it comes to family — he’d never denied them before with Tails and the others, so why should he now?
And what about her? She seemed to trust him so much.
Did she know? Were her instincts telling her he was her father? That he was safe? That she belonged with him?
Would it absolutely crush her when he gave her up?
Sonic felt something twist in his gut, just imagining the look of betrayal her tiny face would give him the moment he said goodbye…
He — he couldn’t do that.
Yes, he was not prime father material — hell, he’d woken up at 1 p.m. today, ate a bag of Skittles for breakfast, gave the neighboring town a couple laps before settling down to play video games and nap before the mission — but he had to try, right?
He probably should give her up…
But he couldn’t.
Sonic hugged her tighter to himself.
He wouldn’t.